Introduction Of Dussehra
Dussehra is otherwise known as Dasahara. “Duss” or “Dasa”means ten and “Hera” or “Hara” means to kill. Shri Ram Chandra (avatar of Lord Vishnu) who killed Ravan the king of Lanka (now Sri Lanka) that day. In India, Dussehra is a sacred festival of all Hindus of india. This festival is celebrated all over India.
Dussehra festival’s otherwise known as Durga Puja, Durga Mahostav, Durgotsava, Sharadotsav or Vijaya Dashami. This festival starts from the first day of Ashwin month (Indian regional month) lunar period and continues till the ninth day of lunar period of the month. On the tenth day, the goddess Durga is worshiped with devotion with vedic and traditional rules.
Dussehra is particularly famous and traditionally celebrated in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Tripura. Indians celebrate two Dussehra in one year. One of the celebrations in the lunar period of Jyeshta month’s (Indian regional month) tenth day Goddess Gangadevi is worshiped in the this festival and the 2nd Dussehra celebrated in the lunar period of Ashwin month’s (Indian regional month) tenth day, It is known as ‘Vijaya Dashmi’, Goddess Durga worshiped in this festival.
Celebrations are varied
In the evening, the temple courtyard vibrates with the sound of gongs and cultural instruments. The old and young devotees all come together and show their arm skills. At first, after the young man demonstrated martial arts, stick fighting and self-defense, the old men could not control themselves and they were also shown some steps of martial arts.
The sound of the music gets louder and louder, the footsteps of the warriors shake the dusty soil of the temple courtyard. The fact that the ancestors of Odisha’s Odia conquered Konda Garh, Warangal, Gulab Gaon, Trichinapali with their own hands is only a matter of conjecture.
Not only in odisha other Indian states are celebrating Dussehra with joyness and devotion. Now in the middle of Dussehra, Kshatriyas, Brahmins, Vaishyas, Shudras are worshiping their own instruments. Dussehra is no longer the monopoly festival of Kshatriyas but has become a whole nation’s Durga Puja festival. Kshatriyas worship the sword on this festival of Durga puja. Brahmins worship writing equipment and palm leaves Pothi. Carpenters worship their working equipment in this festival.
Origin of Durga Festival in India
The appearance of Goddess Durga On the 10th day of the lunar month is the reason for the origin of the Dussehra festival. During these days, Mata Jagajanani Abhaya Pradayini appeared, so she was named Durga. It is related to the word “Durg” which means in Hindi that “fortress, which is difficult or impossible to defeat”. His vehicle was a lion. In India Maa Durga is known by so many names like Mahishasura Mardini, Bhavani, Devi Maa, Mata Rani, Adi Shakti.
Maa Durga is said to be one of the most powerful Goddess in the Hindu religion. She is also known by the name of Adi Shakti or Maha Shakti which in Indian religion means ‘woman’ and ‘power’ respectively. On the “Markandeya Purana”, Durga Puja can be celebrated or worshiped either for 9 days or 4 days (last four in sequence). The four-day-long Durga Puja is a major annual Durga festival in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Durga Puja ‘Dussehra’ is the national festival of West Bengal. The importance of the last four nights of ‘Navratri’, especially the ‘Astami’ (8th) night, is felt there. On this day, the main puja or ‘Mahapuja’ or “Sandhi Puja” begins in the evening in the temple and puja Mandap. In every village and town bazaar along with Durga idol and some other deities of the Hindu world are seated. Durga herself sits in the middle. In North India, Dussehra is celebrated for the killing of Ravana, king of Lanka by Lord Rama the Avatar of lord Vishnu in Tretaya Yug.
In North India, the festival is associated with “Ramayan”. Due to the composition of Tulsi Das’s Ramayana, the celebration of this festival is called Ravan Dahan. During the “Dussehra”’ period, Ram lila plays centering around Rama and Ravana. Shami tree (Indian local tree) is worshiped on Vijaya Dashami in Maharashtra. And the festival is also a celebration of female divinity as it marks the killing of buffalo demon Mahishasura by goddess Durga.
On the ninth day, betel leaves, peppermint and kumkum are offered near the idol of the goddess Durga. One who sits down once defeated, depression, depression or inertia reigns in his mind. ‘Inertia’ is a form of energy. Therefore, on the tenth day of Vijaya, the ritual of ‘Aparajita Puja’ has been practiced for a long time. The word Aparajita means one of the females who is not defeated by any one.Three special forms of the goddess are worshipped.
The festival of ‘Dussehra’ or ‘Navratri’ is very popular all over India. The festival is a celebration of Durga’s victory over Mahishasur, ‘Navaratri’ in the south, ‘Dashara’ in the north and ‘ Durga Puja’ in the east, but all of them are included in the Sharadiya Maha Parvan.Goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshiped for nine long days with devotion.
The last 10th day festival is known as ‘Vijaya Dasami’. On the last day there is Ravan podi (burning of Ravana Statue). It warns us that if we win over evil, we will never be defeated by untruth. The rich and poor, the literate, the old and children, the men & women all celebrate this festival in full of enjoyment and happiness.
Durga Puja in Tribal Areas of India
Durga puja is also important for the tribal people in tribal areas.In odisha tribal people of Ganjam and Koraput district worship Durga Devi in local tribal areas traditional vedic rules. In Jaipur this festival is celebrated till 16th day. In particular, Goddess Durga is worshiped in the temple with the avatar of “Kanaka Durga”. In the Bastar region of Madhya Pradesh, Goddess “Dhaneshwari” is worshiped as Durga Festival.
Conclusion
Durga Festival is a traditional festival in India, where people celebrate and enjoy the festival of Durga puja without caring for their caste, religion and financial status. Traditional folk dance of India and vedic cultural performances are the best and most attractive part of this festival. Durga puja is mainly celebrated in Odisha and West Bengal.The streets of Cuttack & Kolkata are filled with the devotees of Goddess Maa Durga, there are also many food stalls and shops and whole cities covered with lights.
Not only in Cuttack and Kolkata cities, or India and its sub-continent, this festival is celebrated all over the world. The festival’s primary motive is to teach the devotees and common people that good always wins over evil and untruth, so they should always follow the right path and follow the path of ‘Dharma’
